Power Women: Cindy Conger, CPA/PFS,CFP
Wealth Manager, Conger Wealth Management
What’s your secret to success?
I went back to college at 28. I finished my undergraduate degree and a master’s degree to be sure I had the knowledge I would need to succeed. Once I started the company along with my business partner, I didn’t allow failure as an option. I did without in my personal life to make sure that the company would have enough money to continue. It all paid off, and I am happy to say that I will retire next year.
How did you get started in your field?
I initially thought I would be a CPA in public practice. However, public accounting firms wouldn’t consider me because I had young children and couldn’t travel. When I answered an ad for someone interested in financial planning, I talked with one of my professors, Dr. Ashvin Vibhaker, who thought I had the right skill set and would like it. It was a new field, so we had to figure it out as we went along, but I loved the work.
What are your proudest accomplishments?
I was inducted into the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame this year. To be among women whom I have admired throughout my career is such an honor.
What obstacles have you had to overcome?
When I started as a financial planner, there were very few women in it. In the late 1980s, I would go to conferences and be one of 10 women at a conference with 200 men. While I was a 50% owner in our company – meaning I put up 50% of the money to start it – men would assume I was not a producing partner. They would say to my partner, “Have your girl call my office.” It wasn’t a great way to make an impression on either of us!
What are you reading/watching/listening to right now?
Reading: “The Boys from Biloxi” by John Grisham.
